Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an effervescent beverage containing a grain degradation product, a method for dispensing and a dispensing device for the effervescent beverage, wherein the effervescent beverage contains frozen foam prepared by cooling and stirring the effervescent beverage liquid and incorporating outside gas, wherein foam having a snow-like refreshing texture and a new texture of a prolonged creamy-foam retention is formed on the effervescent beverage.
Background Art
Property of the foam is one of the important factors pertaining to the palatability of effervescent beverage such as beer. Major functions of the foam of beer and the like include prevention of outgassing of carbon dioxide from the beverage, flavoring by foaming, prevention of degradation by capping, comfortable bursting sound of the foam, tasty appearance, etc. Therefore, improvement of foam retention of the beverage such as beer is effective to appeal to consumers. In the field of effervescent alcoholic beverage such as beer, the beverage having creamy and sustainable foam has been preferred. Therefore, various methods have been disclosed in order to improve such foam.
Effervescent alcoholic beverages containing foaming agent or foam-retaining agent aiming at enhancing stable foam-forming or providing sustainable and lasting foam have been disclosed in order to improve the foam of the effervescent beverage such as beer. For example, effervescent alcoholic beverage containing a saponin component (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 88869/1986, No. 191934/2006, No. 314282/2006), beer-like cold beverage containing guarana extract, foaming agent and coloring agent (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 82538/2007), and carbon dioxide-containing alcoholic beverage containing malt fermentation liquor containing hop, foaming agent (saponin) and foam-retaining agent (thickening-stabilizing agent such as agar, gelatin, xanthan gum, carrageenan, pectin, tamarind gum, gellan gum, locust bean gum, etc.) (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 299473/1999) have been disclosed.
In addition, beer-like alcoholic beverage obtained by preparing a pre-fermentation liquor using a nitrogen source obtained from soybean or pea as a raw material mixed with a foaming agent and/or foam-retaining agent selected from a group consisting of plant-derived saponin-based substance such as soybean saponin, yucca saponin, quillaja saponin, tea saponin, Goryeo saponin; proteinaceous substance such as egg-white peptide, bovine serum albumin; thickener such as xanthan gum, pullulan, guar gum, locust bean gum, carrageenan, Arabia gum, tamarind seed polysaccharide, agar, Tara gum, gellan gum; and alginate ester (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 124591/2005), fermented malt beverage made using wheat degradation product (Japanese Patent Publication Laid-Open No. 328729/2005), and carbon dioxide-containing beverage made using octenylsuccinic acid starch (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 81171/2004; WO 03/105610), etc. have been disclosed. Further, addition of nitrogen gas to beverage such as beer in order to improve foam retention of the beverage (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 287393/1998) has been disclosed.
On one hand, effervescent alcoholic beverages such as beer are usually chilled before drinking. Therefore, the beverage should be cold when served at restaurant or bar. However, cold beverages tend to worsen foaming because carbon dioxide is likely to dissolve in the beverage. Furthermore, the gas in the foam tends to inflate and collapse resulting in poor foaming, because there is a large temperature difference between the ambient air and the cold beverage such as beer. Therefore, serving a beverage such as beer with sustainable foam at low temperature upon drinking is an important requirement to appeal to consumers. In order to meet such requirement, various foaming agents and foam-retaining agents have been proposed aiming at enhancing stable foam-forming or providing sustainable and lasting foam even at low temperature upon drinking for effervescent alcoholic beverage such as beer, as mentioned above. However, when effervescent beverage with creamy and sustainable foam is produced using such foaming agent and foam-retaining agent, the foaming agent or foam-retaining agent themselves may influence the intrinsic taste of the effervescent beverage or retention of creamy foam may spoil the refreshing taste of the foam itself and influence the taste of the effervescent beverage for which refreshing feeling is preferred.
On the other hand, a method to serve frozen and finely crashed beverage such as beer floating over beer has been disclosed as a method for dispensing the cold beverage by pouring it into a vessel to serve upon drinking (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 514553/2003). The beverage of this disclosure contains a frozen beverage solid or a mixture of the beverage liquid and the frozen beverage solid floating over the effervescent beverage such as beer poured into a vessel such as a glass. There is foam of carbon dioxide or the like, which has been dissolved in the effervescent beverage, existing over the frozen beverage solid. Although the frozen beverage solid or the mixture of the beverage liquid and the frozen beverage solid is floating over the effervescent beverage poured in the vessel, the frozen beverage solid itself neither forms soft foam, nor enhances the foam retention effect of the effervescent beverage poured in the vessel.
In addition, WO2009/037446 discloses a method for dispensing and an apparatus for dispensing, by which cold beverage such as beer and cider, wherein the chilled beverage is served in a state containing chilled beverage/frozen particle using a freezer. According to the disclosure, the chilled beverage served by this method for dispensing can keep the cold state without diluting due to the frozen particles contained in the beverage. The disclosure also claims that the beverage containing the frozen particles is served with slush consistency.